MLB Player News

Odorizzi (4-2) picked up the win Saturday over the Yankees, hurling six scoreless innings in a 7-3 victory while permitting just two hits and four walks. He struck out eight.

Odorizzi cruised through the Yankees lineup, wriggling out of trouble in the first and fourth innings when he issued two walks in both frames. The 29-year-old has has won his last four starts, allowing just three runs over 24.1 innings with a 23:6 K:BB. For the season, Odorizzi has an outstanding 2.78 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. He'll look to keep it rolling in his next start, which is scheduled for Friday at home against the Tigers.

Paxton (knee) received a cortisone shot Saturday and will be shut down for 5-7 days, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

It's not clear how much time the lefty will need to build back up after being shut down, but he may wind up missing more than one start. Jonathan Loaisiga will take his place in the rotation.

Paxton was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday with left knee inflammation.

The team has not yet provided a clear timetable for when Paxton could return to game action, but the hope is that it will be a short stay on the IL. Manager Aaron Boone said Paxton is still feeling sore but didn't have any swelling Saturday, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports. The earliest Paxton would be able to return would be May 14. Jake Barrett was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in a corresponding move. Jonathan Loaisiga, who is at Triple-A, and Luis Cessa, who is in the big-league bullpen, seem like the two most likely options to take Paxton's rotation spot in the short term.

Sale (1-5) picked up the win against the White Sox on Friday, striking out 10 and walking one while giving up no earned runs on three hits over six strong innings in the Red Sox' 6-1 victory.

The left-hander has endured a tough start to the season, but he looked like his old lights-out self in this one, recording his second double-digit strikeout effort of the year and finally getting his first win. Sale's ERA still sits at a bloated 5.25, but he's now given up just two earned over 13 innings in his past two starts, so he certainly looks ready to put the slow start behind him and get back to his Cy Young-caliber form of past seasons.

Boyd (3-2) picked up the win Friday over the Royals, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk across seven innings. He struck out nine.

Outside of the fourth inning Friday -- during which Boyd allowed both runs to score -- the southpaw didn't allow a baserunner to reach second base. Boyd has now registered six consecutive quality starts, posting a 2.75 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 47:10 K:BB in 39.1 innings during that stretch. He'll look to keep it rolling in his next scheduled start, which will come at home against the Angels.

Kikuchi allowed one run on three hits with 10 strikeouts and one walk in a no-decision against the Indians on Friday.

The extra rest Kikuchi received by being used purely as an opener in his last start April 20, in which he threw only one inning, seemed to be helpful, as the southpaw turned in the best performance of his young MLB career. He is 1-1 with a 3.98 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 35 strikeouts in 40.2 innings this season. His next scheduled start is on the road Wednesday against the Yankees.

Bieber allowed one run on six hits with eight strikeouts and one walk across 7.2 innings in a no-decision against the Mariners on Friday.

Indians manager Terry Francona allowed Bieber to face the first two batters in the seventh, but even though he retired both, he left the game for matchup reasons. Bieber was also at 114 pitches when he exited. The 23-year-old has settled for no-decisions or taken losses in his last three outings, but he is still 2-1 with a 3.16 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 42 strikeouts in 37 innings this season. He will be looking for his third win in his next start Wednesday against the White Sox at home.

Nicolino signed a minor-league contract with the White Sox, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

It didn't take long for Nicolino to find a new home after being released by the Twins earlier in the week. The southpaw compiled a 5.12 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 13:8 K:BB though 19.1 innings (four starts, one relief appearance) with Triple-A Rochester before being cut loose. He'll provide starting pitching depth for the White Sox, who just lost Carlos Rodon to an elbow injury.

Gibson (2-1) allowed five runs (two earned) on seven hits with five strikeouts and two walks in a loss to the Yankees on Friday.

The Twins defense let down Gibson in this one, as three Yankees runs scored off two errors. Those mistakes forced Gibson to throw more pitches, and as a result, he had his shortest outing since April 9. Gibson dropped to 2-1 with the loss; he also has a 4.68 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 29 strikeouts in 32.2 innings this year. He is expected to make his next start on the road Wednesday against the Blue Jays.

Paxton, who exited Friday's game with left knee soreness, doesn't believe the issue will result in a long-term absence, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports. "It's frustrating, but I'm not real worried that it's going to be something long-term," the southpaw said. "I think it's going to be a pretty quick fix. I'm looking forward to finding out what's going on."

Paxton has apparently been dealing with soreness in his left knee throughout the season, though Friday was apparently the first time the issue affected his ability to pitch. The hope is that Paxton's knee was simply sore on what was a damp night, though more won't be known until after he undergoes further testing Saturday.